Dancing Words Blog

For Parent/Child Dance Classes: Flip, Flap, Fly!

I was thrilled to stumble upon Phyllis Root's book Flip, Flap, Fly! at the library this week. This book is perfect for a parent/child dance class with children ages 1-4. 

The story explores numerous pairings - of a baby animal and its mother (fish, snake, bird, otter, etc). Each spread shares a different animal, and how the two move together. 

The text can easily lead to an improvisational warm up or dance. 

"Wiggle!"  hisses baby snake.

"Wiggle with a squiggle!"

So the mama helps the baby snake

    ziggle    zaggle    wiggle

Have fun dancing together in a variety of ways. Let's flip, flap, fly.....let's splish, splash, swim.

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A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream

I was thrilled to read this new book today, A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream by Kristy Dempsey and illustrator Floyd Cooper. 

This picture book will be a great read to students in grades 2-4. It is partially a story of a child's dream, and partially the telling of the tale of Janet Collins, the first African American ballerina hired under contract to dance for the Metropolitan Opera in 1951. I myself learned a lot today reading this story.

The main character in the book is a young girl with hopes and dreams. Her mother sews costumes for a ballet company in the tale. The story ends with the little girl and her mother getting to see Janet Collins perform on stage. 

A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream is an excellent addition to children's literature on dance, and perfectly timed as we celebrate African American History Month in February. 

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Still Time to Get This Book for a Valentine's Day Dance Class

My copy of Eric Telchin's See a Heart Share a Heart just arrived today. My 7th graders are excited to explore it next week in dance. I think the book can be used with a wide range of ages, with students in grades K-8. 

Telchin photographed hearts found all around us - light that made the shape of a heart, plants, twisted items, and much more. But, the real inspiration for a dance class will be the poetic language:

See a heart

Share a heart

Catch a heart

Keep a heart

In the text, approximately 20 different verbs are used. The language is rich with movement potential and many creative interpretations of the words (change, touch, share, tend, warm....). 

You still have time to find copies, new  and used, through Powell's Books and Amazon.com. 

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Magic and Whimsy Series: There

For seasoned dance teaching artists who love multi-layered dance projects, check out the picture book There by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick. This book can be used with a wide range of students in grades first all the way up to potentially middle school. 

When will I get There?

How will I know? Will there be a sign that says, "Here is There?"

Will it take long to get There? Till tomorrow? Till next week? Next year?

While you probably will not make movement directly with the text, the text can be a nice layer on top of a dance about journeys, travel, wishes and dreams, questions, and "what's next." You could record the text or narrate it live. 

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Alphabet Series: The Letter L

 

LINES

Lines that Wiggle by Candace Whitman and Steve Wilson is a playful book with lots of examples of lines. Explore these lines by making shapes with your whole body, drawing in space, or making pathways with your feet.

EXPLORE YOUR BOOK BIN OF ALPHABET BOOKS

As I mentioned at the start of this series, I recommend having a book bin of alphabet books in your classroom or studio. That way, with letters like L, you might pull out a few books and simply look at the letter L. If the image is of a lion, can you lead an improv related to it? If the image is of a child low to the ground, can you explore multiple ways to move on a low level? Using a few of the books in the bin can lead to some easy warm up activities.

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